Drug effects

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. The powdered hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crack is cocaine base that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. This form of cocaine comes in a rock crystal that is heated to produce vapors, which are smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound produced by the rock as it is heated.

Short term effects of crack

The short term effects of crack can be felt upon the users initial hit. The individual begins to feel the effects of crack immediately. The user experiences an increase in energy, body temperature, mental alertness, heart rate, constricted blood vessels, as well as a decrease in appetite.

These temporary effects of crack are as short lived as the users high. Because crack is smoked, causing it to travel through the blood up to the brain much faster than cocaine which is snorted, the user experiences these short term effects more intensely. The duration and intensity of these short term effects of crack are based on the amount of crack that is used.

The short term effects of crack include but are not limited to:

• Magnification of pleasure, euphoria
• Alertness and in some cases - hyper-alertness
• Increased and sometimes a grandiose sense of well being
• Decreased anxiety
• Lower social inhibitions: more sociable and talkative
• Heightened energy, self-esteem, sexuality and emotions aroused by interpersonal experiences
• Appetite loss

Long term effects of crack

The long term effects of crack affect the user physically, mentally, and emotionally. An individual's long term effects from crack vary from person to person depending on their length and intensity of abuse.

In general, the long term effects of crack include:

• restlessness
• mood change
• irritability
• auditory hallucinations
• particularly aggressive paranoid behavior
• Transient panic
• Paranoia
• Terror of impending death
• Extreme weight loss
• Chronic sore throat
• Hoarseness
• Shortness of breath
• Bronchitis
• Lung cancer
• Emphysema and other lung damage
• Suppressed desire for food, sex, friends, family, and social contacts